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SpaceX launches rescue mission for 2 stranded NASA astronauts

By Megan Ziegler
Published  September 28, 2024 11:40am MST
Air and Space
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Starliner astronauts will remain in space until 2025

Boeing’s Starliner is returning to Earth without astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams aboard. NASA announced the news on Saturday, saying the uncrewed return allows NASA and Boeing to continue gathering testing data on Starliner, while avoiding risk for its crew. Reuters reporter Joey Roulette joins LiveNOW from FOX.

The Brief

    • The SpaceX rocket that will bring home two NASA astronauts stranded in space launched successfully Saturday from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. 
    • Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have been at the International Space Station since June, when their Boeing capsule began suffering problems that made a ride home too risky. 
    • SpaceX’s return flight carrying Wilmore and Williams won’t be until February.

SpaceX launched a rocket Saturday that will bring home two NASA astronauts that have been stranded at the International Space Station for months. 

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft launched at 1:17 p.m. ET with two empty seats, saving room to bring home Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.

But the rocket won’t be returning to earth until February - meaning Wilmore and Williams will have to wait until then before returning home, more than eight months after launching on what should have been a weeklong mission. 

Here’s what happened: 

Why are 2 NASA astronauts stuck in space?

Wilmore and Williams launched into space back in June with a plan to fly Boeing’s new Starliner capsule to the space station, put it through its paces in orbit, and return with a historic landing in New Mexico.

But the Boeing capsule began experiencing problems such as helium leaks and failing steering thrusters. 

NASA deemed the capsule too risky to fly home carrying the two astronauts. 

In August, officials announced Wilmore and Williams were safe to stay on the International Space Station and would return early next year aboard empty seats on the SpaceX Dragon capsule that launched on Sept. 28, 2024. 

The Starliner returned to earth unmanned on Sept. 7. 

RELATED: Stranded astronauts to vote in 2024 election from space while awaiting ride home

Latest SpaceX launch

SpaceX Crew-9 Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov (L) (Mission Specialist) and NASA Astronaut Nick Hague (Mission Commander) wear SpaceX spacesuits as they depart from the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Control Building at Kennedy Space Center f

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SpaceX’s Dragon capsule is configured to carry four people. Four astronauts were due to launch on the Crew 9 mission in August, but NASA delayed that launch so they could send only two astronauts, leaving two seats open for Wilmore and Williams when that mission’s rotation ends in February.

NASA astronaut Nick Hague, commander, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, mission specialist, were the two astronauts that launched with SpaceX.  

READ MORE: NASA's SpaceX Crew-9 rocket successfully launched, headed to I.S.S.

The Source

  • Information from NASA’s press conferences and website, Boeing corporate statements, FOX News, and the Associated Press was used in this report, along with previous FOX TV Stations reporting.